At least eight people were killed and 40 injured as a mine explosion hit a passenger bus in western Afghanistan on Tuesday, reported TOLONews. The injured have been taken to nearby hospitals for treatment.
The blast took place when the Kabul-bound bus was travelling through Bala Baluk district of Farah province around 4.30 am (5.30 am Indian time), said Naser Mehri, the spokesperson for the provincial governor. “It was a bomb planted by the Taliban to hit security forces but unfortunately it got a passenger bus,” Farah provincial police spokesperson Muhibullah Muhib told AFP.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack yet. The Taliban is an active militant outfit in Farah province.
The incident comes days after at least 11 people were killed in an explosion within minutes of Afghanistan Vice President Abdul Rashid Dostum’s return to Kabul after a year-and-a-half in exile in Turkey. The attack, which took place on July 22, is believed to be a suicide bomb attack. On July 11, militants attacked an education department building in Jalalabad, killing 10 people.
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